HASEGAWA 1:72 MiG-23S FLOGGER-B
Reviewer: Myself (braithy@bigpond.com)
The MiG-23S Flogger-B was the first main production version of the Soviet swept wing fighter, and as far as I am aware was only available to the former Soviet Union (as export models were scaled down in many areas). Powered by a large Turmanski engine, the interceptor was able to fly at around Mach 2.3.
The Kit is manufactured by Hasegawa and on opening the box you are presented with typical plastic wrap encasing approximately 50 Injection moulded parts and 4 clear. Typical of Hasegawa, the parts are free from flash and are in a crisp light grey colour with finely engraved panel lines. Interestingly, the kit (now a few years old) is based on "supposed" data, but the finished product scrubs up quite nicely and accurately as far as more recent references are concerned. All the parts in the box are available for use with this particular kit and will of course ultimately depend on the completed static or flying model. By this I mean that there are no parts which are "not for use" with this particular kit (as there sometimes are). The cockpit detail is sparse, you are supplied with only a crew figure, base and seat. An instrument panel is also supplied to be affixed to the inside of the cockpit and there is a decal to place on this. Unless you are happy with a very basic cockpit area you will need to define your own detail therein. The majority of the fuselage is one piece, stretching from the front of the wings to the tail area. You only have an upper "roof" to apply to encase the wings and the front area comprising of the whole cockpit and the nose (which is affixed separately)
The instruction sheet is set out in step by step format and is easy to follow. The colour chart is provided with Mr.Colour and Gunze Sangyo references with approximate colour names also supplied to help reconcile with other paint manufacturers. The front page contains a paragraph on the aircraft and some "supposed" data. This is translated into 6 languages. The inside cover contains side view drawings of Soviet Interceptors (MiG-17 to MiG-27) and US Interceptors (F-14 & F-15) which I assume is to compare the aircraft in size to each other. There's a rough scale for this to go by, but I find it a little inaccurate for nearly all the aircraft according to my references. The back pages of course cover the colour scheme of the only aircraft this model is depicting.
Assembling the kit is quite straightforward, although it's best to read the instructions first as there are a number of things to be wary of before you begin. For instance, construction of some parts depend on whether you choose the flying or sitting model so it's best to decide this beforehand. You wall also need to remove some stubble from the wings and have a 1g weight handy to place in the nose.
Construction starts with the cockpit area and attaching the nose. You will need some ballast as indicated above to ensure your aircraft is not a tail-sitter. I stuffed blu-tak into mine which was sufficient but you can always get ideas from your local hobby shop or through rec.models.scale newsgroup. From here you move onto the fuselage behind the cockpit unit and attach the swing-wings. You need to remove some stubble from underneath the wing and there is adequate instructions on how to put the wings together. Basically, they are not cemented but have integrating cogs which fit snuggly in together to allow the wings to be moved fore and aft. You then attach the fuselage roof and then the cockpit/nose unit. It is interesting to note that the main canopy piece is not cemented into place, it comes with "hinges" so that you can at anytime have it in the closed or open position, and this was quite nice. It all fits very nicely but some clamps or rubber bands would not go astray to ensure the fuselage casing holds together properly while the glue dries.
From this point you attach the intakes and the ventral fin. Note, that in the sitting position, the ventral fin is folded horizontally to the starboard, it's only down in flight (This is covered in the instructions). All the parts fit nicely and you shouldn't have too much trouble with gaps. Finally you move onto the undercarriage and weapons with both fairly straightforward to affix. The wheel wells contain a little bit of detail and the instructions show a close up of the nosewheel and front-view to give you a better idea how the wheels are supposed to look. As far as weapons are concerned you are only provided with a small cannon pod to go on the underbelly, two Aphids to affix under the engine inlets and a pair of large Apex AA-7 Infra-red homing missiles on wing glove pylons. My references say that only one AA-7 Infra-Red is carried on starboard pylon with an AA-7 Semi-Active homing missile carried on the port pylon (this looks marginally different to an Infra-Red missile). I haven't bothered with getting too worried about this perceived error but it is one you may want to double check for authenticity.
Only one set of decals and colour scheme is supplied, replicating a MiG-23S of an unknown regiment (Red star on tail and "23" numbered insignia under the cockpit). My references indicate that this aircraft may have served with the Troops of Air Defence and may have in fact been a Flogger-G. You will therefore need to research the accuracy of this depiction. The recommended colour scheme is Russian Green (FS34102 stated), Tan (FS30219 stated) and Light Sandy brown with very pale blue undersides, common scheme for Soviet interceptors of this era with Dark Grey nose and tail fin cap. Again I would recommend further research on the colour scheme, I actually used white undersides for my Flogger.
This is another fine Hasegawa kit, all the parts fit quite easily and even the complex tasks receive adequate coverage in the instructions. Since the kit is obviously a Hasegawa estimate of the real thing I would suggest you have reference sources available to reproduce an accurate depiction. Visiting other web sites and perhaps seeking exact colour specifications through rec.models.scale newsgroup would be most beneficial. This kit should be easily built by the novice modelmaker and would extract some pleasure giving regard to the easy swing-wing structure.
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